Do you fear Death?

[okinrus]

So here's my fundamental criticism of religion. If a strong belief is promoted that there is life after death then that must necessarily degrade our primary survival instinct

Your survival instinct could be used to justify anything. War on Iraq. Survival. War on N. Korea. Survival, we have to take their nukes out before they take ours.

– i.e. if death is seen only as a transition to something better then an effort to hold onto your existing life or promote longer life will be seen as somewhat less important than if no such belief was held.

Well, yes, if you believed solely in Heaven without Hell. But for most of us, we believe in punishment. We not only face the earthly punishments but the spiritual as well. And the value of human life, we believe, is infinite. An atheist, faithful to his argument, cannot justify this infinite value. What surrounds us suggests otherwise.

If we now understand that good is anything that promotes life and happiness and bad is the opposite then we can see that religious promotion of a life after death fantasy must be one of the greatest evils mankind has had to face.

Fear of death is man's worst enemy. The likes of Hitler and Stalin came to power by fear. We even see this in their personalities.

 

[Dr Lou Natic]

I fear slow death on a hospital bed as an elderly decaying man, the thought makes me litterally shudder.
I fear being buried in a coffin at a cemetary. I just don't trust that route.
I don't fear death via a pack of hyenas, which is my plan.

 

[spidergoat]

the horror....the horror....

 

[marv]

duendy's just a posting whore looking for the count.

The greatest cause of death is birth. Well, I got born, so I guess I gotta face death sometime. I've seen some folks die, sometimes violently, so I hope I go quietly in my sleep.

I have my living will, no resuscitation etc., properly witnessed and notarized in my records with the family doctor. If I get some lingering illness like a terminal cancer, pain medication until it's no use, then max me out.

Heaven or hell? I could care less.

 

[mistermistoffolees]

I think it's better to say that one is cautious or avoidant of death rather than afraid of it. I'm not afraid of poisonous snakes but I don't go about making myself familiar with them nor would I reach out and touch one while in it's presence.

 

[water]

One doesn't fear death as such -- one fears that one will run out of time to make up one's mind.

Death is an absolute, and it forces us to think in absolutes -- to make up our mind about things, to devote ourselves to what we have chosen, to devote ourselves with discipline and resolution.

It is this absoluteness that is so scary about death.

On one hand, death seems far, somewhere in old age -- plenty of time to make up your mind about things, one might think. Ah, it's okay, one might be agnostic about everything, there's plenty of time to make up one's mind.

But on the other hand, one gets to see people dying every day, and this teaches one that one will eventually die too -- this way, death is present, and it is present in one vicariously through other people's deaths.

I think it is the relativists and agnostics that are truly scared of death -- for they have to live with an immense internal inconsistency: on one hand, they are facing death as an absolute forcing one to think in absolutes, and on the other hand, they want to remain agnostic and relativistic.


Personally, I'm not afraid of death. But I am afraid of my lack of resolution.

 

[Qorl]

 

[john smith]

 

[john smith]

duendy's just a posting whore looking for the count.

The greatest cause of death is birth. Well, I got born, so I guess I gotta face death sometime. I've seen some folks die, sometimes violently, so I hope I go quietly in my sleep.

I have my living will, no resuscitation etc., properly witnessed and notarized in my records with the family doctor. If I get some lingering illness like a terminal cancer, pain medication until it's no use, then max me out.

Heaven or hell? I could care less.

Obviously you know nothing of what you speak,i condem you to write any more mindless bull, just to appear shocking and to get attention

 

[johnahmed]

I think virtualy everyone fears death, those that say they don't are basicaly liers. The only one who may not fear death is if the pain leading to death is unbearable.

 

[john smith]

I think virtualy everyone fears death, those that say they don't are basicaly liers. The only one who may not fear death is if the pain leading to death is unbearable.

I couldnt agree more, i think everyone,when it comes to the'unknown', is actually scared sh**less.

 

[Silvertusk]

I was wondering what attitudes we have towards death.

Sorry to bring this one back up - but as I am new to the forum I have a lot of catching up to do.

Fair play Spidergoat - straight to the point and it is a damn good question. It is also slightly ironic as it is a certainty that Athiests and Xtians and everyone else for that matter agrees on. We die.

Am I afraid of death? Water hit a nerve when he said about the absoluteness of it. I used to be terrified about it. The possibility of oblivion I just can't get my head around and it makes be go deathly cold (sorry about the pun) just thinking about it. I can't imagine the possibility of me not existing any more. Because to be honest I have got quite use to me existing, and am damn happy about that.

I am going to be married soon and when looking at my Fiancee' the idea that I might not see her again after her life is over or mine after hopefully having a wonderful life together fills me with despair. If that is the case then I think this world is so unbelivably unfair, that it would have been better if we have never experienced this thing called "Life" at all. Because in the end it is all meaningless. Nothing we does matter one iota because in the end death claims us all. Like someone mentioned before, losing that physical contact with a loved one is almost unbearable.

But then I am a Christian...or at least trying to be one and so believe in an afterlife. That hope of the possibility of seeing love ones again to me is amazing and I soooo want it to be true and really hope it is the case. It is this hope that gives me peace of mind and so I no longer fear death.

But even If I wasn't religious, when you consider the vastness of the universe and the possible eternity of it all then "I" must almost surely exist again at some point. So either way I don't think death is the end and for that matter I no longer fear it for myself.

 

[kenworth]

fuck yeah i'm afraid of death!!!!!i like living quite a lot. as fry would say "its basically all i do".i dont know what happens after death at the moment i think nothing and that concept is a little too abstract for me to deal with so i am afraid..

 

[Perfect]

To silvertusk

Have you ever pondered how the calmness and acceptance that spurs from believing in uncertain conditions is like wearing a blindfold?
I kind of dislike the idea of walking towards a goal and at the same time dismissing the context of the trip. As long as you reach the end you’re a winner.

You know… It’s not the winning that’s important but the thrill of the event – or how ever it goes.

And as you wouldn’t see your love ones ever again, it would not matter because you would be dead.
You should be rather thinking how the loss that is your death would affect your spouse, you selfish, selfish man.

Or like that Norwegian devil-boy put it:

Fear
And you shall fall
Weakness suffocates your will
Dare
Yet never fail
Wisdom guides the one
The strong who can defy
Death

 

[Silvertusk]

To silvertusk

Have you ever pondered how the calmness and acceptance that spurs from believing in uncertain conditions is like wearing a blindfold?

You might disagree but I think I see fine.

I kind of dislike the idea of walking towards a goal and at the same time dismissing the context of the trip. As long as you reach the end you’re a winner.

The trip is just as important to me as the goal.

And as you wouldn’t see your love ones ever again, it would not matter because you would be dead.

I am talking about if they go before me. Personally for me it would be a lot more unbearable if I didn't believe that I might see them again, but that is just me.

You should be rather thinking how the loss that is your death would affect your spouse, you selfish, selfish man.

And I would - just didn't bring it up in my last post.

 

[Medicine*Woman]

*************
M*W: What is there to fear about death? We've all been in the process of dying since the moment we were born.

 

[Yorda]

M*W: What is there to fear about death? We've all been in the process of dying since the moment we were born.
*************
Yorda: When the fruit has ripened it leaves the tree (the real self) and starts to die

Life is what they fear, their thoughts of death. There is nothing good or evil except in the human mind. Everything is created by the mind. Our body is programmed to react on things that happen outside, otherwise we wouldn't have survived. When we can control all feelings, nothing will affect us. When something bad happens, we react, but when we know the reaction, and the reasons, we'll be able to produce a counter attack by our thoughts so that nothing happens.

Later, we'll be doing that without thinking, and we won't even see when we fall on the ground, because we have become the tree and the tree only watches when the fruits fall on the ground. And if death is nothingness, it's impossible to fear it. In fact, that would be paradise, but I don't know if I can believe in the "existence" of non-existence... Lucky are the fruits which know that they come from the tree and that they are the tree

 

[water]

Those who fear are lost.


Sting, The shape of my heart

 

[kazbadan]

I am budhist and for my own reasons i think that reeicarnation its real (i wont discuss that now).

I fear the suffering that becomes with the act of dying (for example, if you die from an heart attack i think you will have pain...i dont like that kind of suffering) and i fear what will be my next reeicarnation: a good or bad one?

I fear to loose my counsciousness, to loose my lucid mind in the process and not be aware from what will come next.

Call me crazy if you want.

In second place, Death its a way for humans open his eys to Life. Only when you understand death you will be ready for life.

Thinking about death its useful. Just imagine "Tomorrow XYZ [someome you love] maybe will die, from an accident or other problem. Maybe today its my last day with XYZ". When you realise that you will feel more love that person and a need to live every moment with her like if it was the last one.

Every breath and every moment should be like the first one and the last one. Like a curious and happy being thats its seeing things for the first time and like someone that loves everything because its ready o die.

Learning with Death its very, very hard ( i wish i can be ready for that) but you can learn compassion from it.

I know that it may sound like a "cliche" but now i understand better the meaning of "carpe diem".

 

[Silvertusk]

*************
M*W: What is there to fear about death? We've all been in the process of dying since the moment we were born.

True. Seems to be our united purpose in life.